The Chronicles of Winterset: Oracle (3 page)

I was still fuming over Calix calling me uptight and sensitive. Where did he get off thinking he knew anything about me?

“Hey, have you seen that delicious new piece of eye candy?” Mel’s voice cut through my irritated thoughts. I jerked my head up and gave her a disgusted look from over my school lunch.

“I saw him,” I replied dryly. “His name is Calix. He’s a jerk.”

“What? How do you know?” she demanded.

“He’s my new lab partner,” I answered curtly.

“Hot damn!” She gave a low whistle. “Jerk or not, he is one sexy mother fu—”

“Seriously, Mel!” I shot her an irritated look, and she snapped her mouth closed.

“OK, what happened? Spill,” she said, opening her can of diet soda.

“He called me uptight and sensitive,” I huffed, dropping my fork onto my tray and turning to her.

“That’s why you think he’s a jerk?” She laughed loudly, causing a few people to look in our direction.

“No!” I snapped. “He just acts all uppity, plus he spent most of the class flirting with Sasha. It was annoying.”

“Well, to be fair, Sasha is hot, and most guys would probably spend time flirting with her if she gave them the time of day. I mean until they actually get to know what a cun—”

“You look unhappy,” Kellin commented as he plopped down beside me, effectively silencing Mel before her mouth got her into trouble. “Why are you sitting over here and not with everyone else?”

I eyed our usual table, my mouth clamped tightly shut as I watched Sasha and Courtney giggle and whisper conspiratorially to one another, eyeing Amanda Fields, a quiet, mousy girl. I could only imagine the things they were saying about the poor thing.

We usually all sat together, cheerleaders, jocks, and the more popular kids in school. It was a typical high school clique, and today, I wasn’t feeling it. I was definitely surprised Kellin decided to join us, though. It was no surprise that Mel would. She was a loyal friend who I knew would walk through fire with me if I needed her to.

“Needed a break,” I muttered.

“There he is,” Mel breathed, grabbing my arm and gazing at Calix as he sauntered across the commons looking totally badass, and if I were being honest, delicious, just like Mel had said earlier.

He was still a jerk, though. I knew that much about him. I eyed him as he sat down beside Sasha. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately engaged him in conversation while Courtney moved to his other side, trying to draw his attention.

“Looks like your girlfriend is talking to the new guy,” Mel commented, her eyes in the same place as mine were.

Kellin stared icily over to the table where Calix was sitting. He was now surrounded by most of the cheerleading squad and a few random girls. Even the guys were looking at him like he was some kind of god.

“I don’t like him,” he grumbled, his voice stormy. “He’s in my trig class.”

“Did he call you uptight and sensitive too?” Mel snickered, and I elbowed her.

“No, why? Who did he call uptight and sensitive?”

“Ana,” she said, pointing at me and laughing. She popped a piece of her chocolate cupcake into her mouth and gave me a toothy smile.

“He said that to you?” Kellin asked, a frown on his face.

“It’s whatever.” I waved it off. “He’s a jerk.”

“You have to admit, Kellin, Ana is uptight, right?” Mel prodded, winking at me.

“Well, I mean, Ana knows what she wants.” Kellin shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. I bet he was rethinking his choice in seating.

“Don’t dodge the question,” Mel pushed. “What do you really think of her? Come on. It’s just us here. Calix didn’t mind voicing his opinion, and Courtney isn’t here to kick your ass.”

“Well,” Kellin started, shooting Mel a dirty look for being put on the spot. “I think Ana is smart, and if she wants things done her way then she has a reason for it.”

“That’s a polite way of saying she’s uptight. Just admit it. She’s a little uptight. I mean, Ana, have you ever shown any cleavage or leg in your life?” Mel asked innocently. “It’s not like you don’t have both!”

I widened my eyes at her and shook my head. She was unbelievable.

“I guess she might be a little uptight, but she has her reasons,” Kellin replied weakly.

“Great!” I snapped. “I’m uptight. I’m glad you all think so.”

“And sensitive,” Mel added, taking another sip of her soda.

“Whatever.” I picked up my tray and marched away from them, angry more at myself than them. I typically would have laughed it off, but Calix had angered me by saying it to me first. Maybe I
was
uptight. Big deal. It’s not like it was anyone’s problem.

I spent the remainder of my lunch period in the library poring over my history book and outlining the next chapter.

When the bell rang, I made my way to my history class and sank into my seat, still upset over being told I was uptight.

“Hey, fancy meeting you here,” Calix’s deep voice sliced through my thoughts. I let out a sigh, and shot him my best irritated look.

He chuckled.

I dug my book out, continuing to highlight and outline the next chapter, then I heard Calix click his tongue.

“Look at you, being so studious. I bet you’re a joy to hang out with,” he commented, looking over my shoulder. “Is that why you don’t have a boyfriend or go on dates?”

“What?” I sputtered, turning to face him. How did he know anything about my love life, or lack thereof?

“Your friends Sasha and Courtney said you don’t date. In fact, they said you’re a virg—”

“I swear if you finish that sentence I am going to shove my size sevens so far up your ass, you’ll be able to floss your teeth with my laces,” I interrupted angrily.

His eyes glinted mischievously at my words.

“And they are not my friends,” I added as an afterthought, wanting to make it perfectly clear to him.

Amused, Calix roared with laughter, and a few people turned to see what was going on.

“You are so feisty. I like that,” he remarked. “Not what I was expecting.”

“And you’re an ass,” I snapped at him. I turned around in my seat and glared down at my book. The nerve of Sasha and Courtney! It was no one’s business what I did or who I did it with. That was going too far, even for them.

I didn’t bother taking notes the rest of class. I was so angry that my hands were shaking. The moment the bell rang, I shot out of my seat and made a beeline for the door, and I was just squeezing through it when I felt a warm rush of energy flow up my arm. I gasped as I looked down and saw Calix had grabbed me by my elbow.             

“What?!” I burst out, trying to pull my arm away.

“Hey, calm down,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I just wanted to give you your highlighter. You dropped it back there in your rush to escape. I figured your night would be ruined if you lost it.”

I snatched the highlighter out of his hand and stuffed it into my bag with so much irritation, it looked like I was punishing it for falling on the floor.

“You really should calm down,” he continued, his eyes taking me in.

“You should really learn how to make a first impression,” I countered.

“I’m sorry. I thought I had made an impression,” he smirked, squeezing my elbow a little and sending a shiver of energy through me. I pulled it roughly out of his grip.

“Everything OK?” Kellin cut in, stepping up beside me and glaring at Calix. I swallowed hard. Kellin had never come to my rescue before, and I wasn’t even sure how to react to his intimidating presence.

“Everything is great,” Calix replied, his voice suddenly cold and harsh. It sent a shiver down my spine. “I was just giving Ana her highlighter back.”

“Then I guess you don’t need to be bothering her anymore,” Kellin replied pointedly.

A smile spilled onto Calix’s lips and he winked at me.

“I think she likes it or she wouldn’t blush so hard when she talks to me,” he said, clearly gauging my reaction.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I snarled at him. “I do not blush!”

I knew that was a lie because I could feel the hotness creeping up my face even as I said it. I ducked my head in anger and took a deep breath.

“That’s enough,” Kellin said hotly. He put his arm around my waist protectively, and I nearly lost my cookies. Why was he touching me? He never did this. Hell, we barely ever spent any time alone, and all of a sudden he was touching me?

“Ah,” Calix said, taking in Kellin’s arm around me. “The great protector.”

He backed off and winked at me again.

“I’ll see you later, Ana.”

I looked up at Kellin, only to see the muscle in his jaw working. He was angry. I’d never seen him like that before, especially over me.

He turned to me, his hand traveling to rest on my hip. He was incredibly close, and I could see the gold flecks in his blue eyes. I licked my lips nervously.

“If that guy gives you any more trouble, you come tell me,” he said fervently, tightening his grip on my hip. “I have a bad feeling about him. I don’t trust him.”

“Then you should tell your girlfriend since she was ogling him at lunch,” I blurted out. I immediately wanted to kick myself.

Kellin dropped his hands to his sides and smiled tightly.

“Right. You’re right,” he said, running his hands through his hair. I felt my heart plummet in my chest. So my suspicions were confirmed. Kellin and Courtney were back together. It wasn’t just a date to homecoming. The kiss in the hallway wasn’t just so Courtney could irritate me. They were seeing each other again.

“I have to get to class,” I said, turning away from him and disappearing through the throng of students before he could say anything.

This was shaping up to be a really crappy day.

I did not feel like going to cheerleading practice, but I wanted to get it over with. Friday couldn’t come soon enough. It meant we only had a few more games left in the football season, and I’d be free of Courtney and Sasha for a couple of weeks until basketball season started.

I dressed in my practice clothes, which consisted of a tank top and yoga pants, then made my way out to the field. I knew Courtney would find something to complain about, and I shuddered at the thought. Sinking down next to Mel, I started doing my warm-up stretches.

“Courtney is in one of her moods,” Mel informed me, bending down, her hair hiding her face.

I rolled my eyes at the news. “What else is new?” I muttered through one of my stretches.

“OK, girls, let’s get this over with!” Courtney called out, her voice filled with her snarky attitude. “I have a date with my boyfriend tonight, and I want to be able to shower before we go out.”

We fell into line and worked our butts off. I flipped and pivoted perfectly throughout practice, and our tosses were spot on. Everything was going great. That is until the girls caught sight of Calix watching from the sidelines. They began giggling and looking over at him.

I rolled my eyes at how they were acting while Sasha grinned at Courtney. I knew she’d be sinking her claws into Calix soon enough if she hadn’t already.

“Come on, ladies! One more time! From the top!” Courtney shouted.

I grabbed my head as a terrible sharp pain shot through it, causing my vision to blur.

“Ana, are you OK?” Mel asked with concern, coming to my side.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I said wincing and trying to push the pain away. Nothing like this had never happened to me before.

Despite what I’d said, the pain intensified, and my hands started shaking. What the hell was happening? I glanced over to where Calix stood and saw that he appeared to be studying me closely. He shifted slightly, a look that mirrored interest on his face.

I looked away from him and let out a shaky breath as we launched into the cheer again.

I tried to do a backflip, but fell to my knees before I could muster the energy to perform it. Colors swirled around me and I choked back a gasp as an entirely different world lay before my eyes. No longer was I on Lincoln High’s football field surrounded by my fellow cheerleaders. Instead, I was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the jagged rocks jutting out from the churning water below. Feeling the wind whipping through my hair and breathing in the salty air, I was terrified.

This place was cold, with
a bleakness clinging to the briny air. It wasn’t a place I’d go to make myself happy, despite the beautiful view.

Something felt wrong. Then
a wave of sadness and despair swept over me.

Jump.

I wanted to jump over the edge and make the pain go away. I stepped closer to the precipice, a tear squeezing its way out of the corner of my green eyes.

“Are you kidding me, Ana?” Courtney shouted angrily, her shrill voice pulling me out of the strange vision. She came and got in my face as Mel helped me to my feet. “Get your shit together. You’re pathetic, you know that? I swear, you will be off this squad so fast if you can’t pull it together. We don’t need trash like you holding us back.”

“Courtney . . . ,” I started weakly, really wanting to lay into her. But something was wrong with me, and I leaned into Mel, who looked worried as I wiped the tears from my vision. I was now sweating profusely, my eyesight swimming.

“Don’t ‘Courtney’ me,” she hissed, inches from my face so only I would hear her. “And don’t think I don’t know you’ve been hitting on my boyfriend. I heard about you two in the hallway today and how you rode with him to school. You’d better start watching your back. You’ve got the entire football team watching us now because of how pathetic you are.”

I didn’t bother with a rebuttal, nor did I look in the direction of the football team practicing on the field. I just didn’t have it in me, so I nodded weakly and rested heavily against Mel.

“Ana, you don’t look well,” Mel commented, pushing a stray hair from my face as Courtney walked away, hands on her hips.

“I don’t feel well,” I replied weakly.

“Just go sit down,” she insisted, her eyes shooting over to Courtney, who was making rude comments about me to Sasha.

“I just want to get this over with,” I murmured, righting myself as the music started again.

I stumbled through the routine, my head feeling like it had been lit on fire. I somehow managed to get through it, flips and all, and was relieved when Courtney dismissed us.

I lurched across the field, not bothering to wait for Mel. I needed to go home and lie down. I groaned, remembering I’d gotten a ride with Kellin, and it would be a hell of a walk feeling like this. I glanced up at the sky and saw storm clouds rolling in.

Maybe Kellin had a bright future in meteorology after all.

My vision seemed to turn on its side suddenly, and I plummeted to the hard ground. I tried to throw my hands out to stop myself, but it was no use. I hit the ground with a loud thud, and a whoosh of air left my lungs as my head smacked the sod.

I heard Mel call my name, but I was too weak and dazed to answer. I felt like I was fading away, the voices in the background just a roar as I closed my eyes.